MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER PHEV 2.0 MIVEC GX4h.

Bandwagons have rarely looked as tasty as this. Mitsubishi’s first PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) looked like a confused fish, but now it has design bite and a sparkle in its LED eyes. If it means business, it brings a market report that makes irresistible reading: in the last 12 months, around 39,000 hybrid cars have sold in the UK, a rise of around 7,000 on the previous year. And this is the star of that sales storm, Britain’s number one plug-in hybrid. Not that I initially felt turned on. My car was delivered by an expert called Dave. I gave him a lift to the railway station, but by the time we’d got to the drop-off bay, I began to wish he’d stay. After all, the boot’s quite roomy, even with all those batteries aboard. It wasn’t that Dave was great company (though if you’re reading this, Dave, it was nice to meet you), but just more that the initial prospect of a gear-free gizmo with steering paddles that effectively operate braking, with buttons that allow you to bank energy options, and with more than a Maplin’s worth of electrical socketry… well, let’s just say that as I drove off, I wondered if the handbrake might also cunningly adjust the fridge back at home. I certainly knew how Laika must have felt when those Russians packed her off in Sputnik 2: forget range anxiety, I needed to conquer technology terror first. But unlike a doomed dog I soon began to relax. Within two days, I was a first-class ecoheaded guru, mentally kerchinging full-on B5 regeneration mode on a 1:10 slope, tutting knowingly at the elastic nature of what is forecast to be a mile of battery juice (in the Outer Cotswolds, it can be mere furlongs) and laughing sarcastically at the difference between a functioning charge point and the sort supermarkets brag about (thanks, Sainsbury’s) which, when driven to, “don’t work and never have, mate, not since it was installed on day one’. Mitsubishi won’t tell you, but this car also comes with an anorak as standard. You think you'll not need it, but you’ll soon be zipped in snugly. The reason? E-driving is addictive. Think about it: rationally, it’s the last avenue of motoring pleasure open to any sane driver out there. Drive wisely, zap regularly (from home at about 50p a pop) and a brave new world of fiscal freedom beckons. Before you know it, you’re a moth to that elusive candle of perpetual motion. Be warned though: egg-shell throttling and B5-level regeneration spells inordinate use of the brake lights, which now kick in because, as Dave told me, regeneration has the same net effect as steady braking. Could this spell expensive dentistry for BMW drivers, I ask Dave. We agreed that, all told, we must make sure that the planet comes first. Shunt stress aside, the PHEV soon proves to be as much fun with batteries as anything roadgoing. For me, at least. Five hundred miles in, I show my wife we’re achieving the kind of mpg fossil fuellists can only dream about. Yes, she says, but driving at 29mph might not always be practical. And those other drivers… maybe that’s not friendly waving? She takes the car to work though, and while I haven’t monitored her journey GCHQstyle (it may well be a Bluetooth option), I snoop on her data and see she’s been wearing that anorak as well. Not that the PHEV’s incapable of driving like you forgot to turn the chip pan off. In a few hundred yards of thoughtless abandon, I floored it to see how it liked a bit of action. It was, as they say, up for it, though that two tonnes of bodyweight did make me think of a Labrador suffering from greyhound delusions. Still, I’m not sure Mitsubishi’s seeking product placement in the next Bond movie, so maybe it's a moot point. A snap verdict? I love it. It’s early days, but my PHEV’s got my expectations on maximum charge.

2016 BMW G 310 R.

BMW says it wants to “take the typical BMW premium aspiration to the segment under 500cc” with its new, single-cylinder G 310 R. Developed in Munich but produced in India by TVS Motor Company (India’s third-largest motorcycle manufacturer), the G 310 R features a 313cc engine with reverse-cylinder design that has the intake facing forward and exhaust rearward, allowing the engine to fit better in a chassis with short wheelbase and longer swingarm. Aimed at newer riders, the G 310 R features a moderately low seat height of 30.9 inches and is claimed to weigh 349 pounds while making 34 hp and 21 footpounds of torque.

SsangYong Turismo.

Most of the column inches about SsangYong have been concerning its brand new baby crossover, the Tivoli, a newcomer that has contributed to a doubling of sales during 2015. But in the background, away from the headlines, the Korean firm has been busy updating some of the older members of the line-up, too, with the introduction of a brand-new Euro-6 emissions compliant 2.2-litre diesel engine in the Korando, Rexton and Turismo. Here we test it in SsangYong’s gargantuan MPV, which last year received a general spruce up. Our test car is the flagship of the line-up, the fourwheel- drive ELX paired to a new sevenspeed Mercedes-Benz-sourced sevenspeed automatic transmission, which at Ј24,995, including the fantastic five-year limitless warranty, is an absolute bargain. The Turismo dwarfs any other car that it parks alongside. Its sheer bulk translates into a massive amount of space, with the cabin configured in a two-two-three seating arrangement, with generous space for seven occupants to spread out in all directions. The rear bench seat slides fore and aft, and there’s also sufficient room for luggage for all passengers, too, which is a rarity in this segment. The design of the cabin has fallen behind the latest trends, and the large centrally mounted dials can be difficult to read in poor light. There’s a mixture of both soft and hard surfaces, and an overriding feeling of solidity, though it all looks just a little bit dated. The instruments ahead of the driver look like a 1980s computer game, for instance. You’re sat up high in a command-like position, and allround visibility is excellent thanks to large, deep windows. The seats are comfortable enough, though they do lack lateral support when cornering. Storage space is well thought out, with drinks holders in the door pockets, a deep armrest and a decent area in front of the gear lever. And you can tell from the double coin holders that SsangYong’s got the Turismo’s market clearly defined, and that’s as a taxi. Despite its weight, the 2.2-litre Turismo is surprisingly sprightly off the line. The engine is quiet and never sounds strained, no matter how many revs you pile on. Developing 176bhp and 295lb ft of torque, there’s 15 per cent more power, and torque is up 11 per cent compared to the outgoing engine. The foot operated park brake is outdated, and despite the seven-speed automatic transmission being new, there are occasions when it is slow to change gear. While it’s certainly not the most agile car to drive, in view of its numb steering, it’s pleasing that there’s an almost total absence of body roll when cornering. Grip levels on account of the standard four-wheel-drive system are high, and the suspension delivers a floaty experience that seems adept at soaking up the worst of the lumps and bumps that are present on the UK’s roads. Finally, with a two-tonne towing capacity, this all-wheel-drive MPV should shrug off hauling a large caravan or motorboat with ease.